


Demons Come But They Will Leave

by quietdetective



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Dirk Gently Needs a Hug, Gen, Government Experiments, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 13:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16833904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quietdetective/pseuds/quietdetective
Summary: An unexpected visitor ruins a day.





	Demons Come But They Will Leave

Dirk Gently was trying his best to finish paperwork one day when the doorbell run. Excited for a new case, he ignored the dread building in his heart. Opening the door there was one person he didn't expect to see again. 

Colonel Riggins let himself in, "Hello Svlad-"

"My name is Dirk, colonel."

"I came to apologize,” the man continued, as if Dirk had said nothing at all. “I wasn’t expecting them to continue their research without me. It was uncalled for, and I wish to say sorry.”

Dirk looked at Riggins, fear installed into his heart at the very thought of confronting this man who ruined his life. He couldn’t do this, he didn’t want to do this. That wasn’t right, was it though? He wanted to confront this man, this image of fear from childhood. The boogieman in his closet who came out with promises of answers and gave back lies from the outside. 

“I don’t need you anymore. I don’t want you here anymore.” Dirk’s voice was soft, breaking in the middle of want. He didn’t like that. He tried to make his voice stronger. “You took everything from me colonel! You took my family who loved me, you took my friends away! You promised me you’d help me, help me confront these images and connections and all you gave me was trauma and fear! Hours and hours of experiments that turned up nothing at all! I don’t know what you want from me! I’m not psychic! You can’t come back and expect me to say everything is completely fine after all you’ve done! An apology will never be enough.”

The colonel looked back at Dirk, sadness in his eyes. To him, this was nothing he hadn’t seen before, though Riggins always wanted Dirk to view him as a father figure. Someone he could trust his words and experiences with. There was a reason he never bothered confronting Dirk before about what happened in Blackwing. The trauma was a lot, more than he expected after so many years, though he doubted those months back under different leadership changed those opinions. All the experiments turned up useless, but Dirk was hardly ever that. He didn’t know how to control the gift he’d been given, and if it were up to Riggins, he wouldn’t have it in the first place. There were more capable people around who would use the gift correctly, or at least more efficiently than Dirk ever managed. The main reason they never tried was due to the colonels softened heart at all these young children looking up at him with fear and pleading eyes.

“Dirk please. Listen to me. You know you aren’t safe out here. You’re gonna get yourself, and your friends, hurt if you continue this.” Colonel Riggins tried, hoping Dirk’s fear of hurting those who cared about him would cause Dirk to come back. It usually worked, lies upon lies building up. Riggins liked to think he kept the subjects’ best interests in heart, even telling them that their parents sent them when in reality they were forced to forget their children to a huge CIA operation. 

“No. No I won’t let them. They can handle themselves really, really well actually. They don’t need protecting!” Dirk said, standing feet from the only friend he had in his childhood, the only person who didn’t look at him with fear or indifference. When had that changed? “They would look for me! They think I’m worth it! You can’t threaten me anymore colonel. Go back to hiding.” 

“I can’t do that Svla-“

“That’s not my name! It hasn’t been my name since you stole me! Since you kidnapped me from my parents and shot them in the head right in front of me!” Dirk cried out, covering his ears and curling into himself, eyes shut tightly as the memory came to the surface. It never got any easier, looking down at his parents loving eyes only to see them empty, lifelessly looking up. Their love stolen and used for things he never wanted to think about again. “I’m NOT SVLAD CJELLI! I AM NOT PROJECT ICARUS! I AM DIRK GENTLY AND I WANT YOU TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW!!!”

The colonel was silent, surprised by the power behind Dirk’s voice. He was never able to argue against Riggins, reverting to a childlike arguing style, already knowing he will never win against the older person who can and will punish him. Riggins liked to think he was a father figure to Dirk while in Blackwing, the only problem being the fact Dirk remembered his father and knew what the colonel had done. 

“Go, right now. I will tell Mona to chase you out if needed. I do not want to see you anywhere near any of us again” Dirk strode over to the boogieman of the past, pushing the older man to the door. It wasn’t at all a challenge, the man too surprised to fight the determined detective. “I don’t want to hear any of your answers, any of your excuses. No more. You cannot and will not control my life anymore.”

Dirk shoved the man out and closed the door, sliding against the door and breathed out heavily. Tears slid down his face as he began to cry harshly. So many terrible memories and he wanted none of them to make themselves apparent now. Thankfully, Mona came along. She turned into her favoured human form and gave Dirk an embrace.

“You were so brave Dirk!” She smiled, though it was melancholy. She knew how much grief Dirk had in his heart and could only hope having a friend made it better. “So, so brave. He won’t come back again, I know it”

Dirk smiled at Mona and hugged her tightly, ignoring the world when Todd and Farah rushed in from the doorway, away on a coffee, or tea, run when the colonel walked in. 

Everything wouldn’t be fine, but maybe together someday it will be.


End file.
